Now!!

I go to Denver again Tuesday. I am scheduled at 930 Tuesday morning, so I will be leaving after my boyfriend gets out of school Monday. Monday night we stay with my brother, and then head home after the procedure. UNLESS anything bad happens.

My aunt is in from out of town for the weekend... so I will be chillin with her!

And I am so ready for this damn tube to get out. I hurt so bad when I take a shower, or when I have to change the dressing. This isn't worth it.

Still?

So yesterday, when mom came home from work, I was snuggled in my bed. She touched my face and exclaimed... "you're hot!" No! Not like that, you sicko! She took my temp.. and what do you know?! A fever. Again. Damnit. All day today too. There isn't any tenderness in my chest, yet, and I hope there isn't any coming. I will let you know. I just want to get better. I am tired of feeling shitty, and I am tired of tubes coming out of my body, itching and hurting. *grumble, grumble*

Sigh of Relief

Well, my nurse basically gave me a "well duh!" smack on the head. Of course the cultures didn't grow anything! I am on antibiotics! So I am simply to continue my antibiotics and call her in the morning. I am having pain in the old site, tenderness and swelling. I am supposed to go to my primary for that. I don't want to. Each time I go I have to pay a co-pay! I am already up to $100 that I need them to bill me. So I will warm compress it and see how it goes.

Again.

So I talked to my nurse a little this morning. Guess what. NO INFECTION!!! She is so confused. She said "it looked yucky and green to me." So what does that mean? We don't know we are stumped. She is emailing my Dr to see what he said. I asked if the tubing was irritating my body and that caused an abscess. She simply said that would be hard to determine. So more waiting.

No News...

Is good news? Well, I haven't received any results from the cultures in Denver. I did put a call in to my Dr and expect a call tomorrow. I am feeling better. I am still tired very easily, but that is to be expected. I am not sick any more, not QUITE as sore, and a little more irritable. I also am craving less ice. Is that because of taking the tube out? Because it is getting colder? Non-related? I am just not sure.

Post Op

So.. the world collapsed the day before yesterday (also known as Thursday). I Talked to my nurse and she really wanted me o go to Denver. She made an appointment for me to go the next day (also known as Friday) to Denver and get the port removed. My Dr here in town was a little upset... he felt they were stepping on his toes. But after that stress, I decided I should write in my blog and say what was going on! But.... Bresnan phone and internet was down. It went down at 8pm Thursday and didn't go back up until yesterday early evening!

So we went to Denver yesterday, Mom, Ryan, and I. I was scheduled to get a PIC line at 1pm, then they would remove the Hickman. We got there at about 1030a, and they were able to get me in early. So that was nice. We saw Sondra and Dr Bull, and they said it was best to get it out mostly because I am allergic to all of the good antibiotics.

I go back to get the PIC, and find out that there is no anesthesia for either part of this. I am a little worried. The Dr who was preforming this procedure tried 6 times on the left arm and 2 times on the right. It hurt so bad!!!! She said that each time she went to put the guiding wire in the vein it would collapse. After the second try it hurt like hell, after the third I just cried. Finally 2 hours later, they decide to go through my neck. Still nothing for the pain. After they finally get that in, Sondra switches the medicine to the new line. I told her it was hell and that I didn't ever want to feel that again. After she leaves, I ask the OR nurse if it was going to hurt when they take out the old cath. She said I won't hurt at al, and I told her that was good, because I couldn't handle any more painl. Well, how they do it is they stretch the skin around the foam piece under the skin and pull. It hurt like a bitch. I cried out, they stopped, and FINALLY I GOT PAIN MED!!! And after that it came out no problem. I get to go back in about 2 weeks to get the new catheter placed.

I was so ready to give up. I had reached the end of what I can handle. I never want to experience anything like that again. I mean WHY cant they give pain meds? Or the medicine that you get with an endoscopy... still awake without remembering or feeling.? I told Sondra never again. I will never hurt like that when I don't have to. She wasn't pleased, neither were Mom and Ryan.

Well, we came back last night too. But first we ate dinner. Guess where...! CASA BONITA!! Ryan said he had never eaten there! It was fun! I think he had fun. Mom and I did!

Well, I am tired. I have been through a lot. I am gonna nap now.

Almost There?

Last night went on without much excitement. Except for a fever. It got up to 101.2 so I took Tylenol. I did call the Doctor, and he said to just take Tylenol throughout the night since I was going to see him in the morning. I went to the Doctor this morning, and things look better. The swelling and redness have gone down, and I feel a lot better. My instructions were to change my dressing, and I did. But just before I did I pushed more puss out. Then shortly after that my nurse called to check up on me. I told her about everything, and she is concerned about the puss today and the fever last night. She said that should not be happening. But she said she would talk to my Doctor up there and unless he feels differently, she will call tomorrow.

And We're Sick

So I didn't update yesterday, and that is because I felt like shit. I felt ok for the morning, I had a few bites of cereal. Then I went to the grocery store for something to drink around 2 or 3 and got sick. I had to sit down for a while before leaving. I decided to check my blood pressure since there was a machine right there. My pressure was fine, like 108/76, or something close. But... here's the kicker... my pulse was 146! Way too fast. So I called my Dr here and he said to call Denver and see what they want to do. They wanted me to see Dr Terry and were afraid my infection may have gone sepsis. So I went to him. I didn't have a fever still, but the site was red, inflamed, I hurt, and I wanted to rip my insides out because that would hurt less. The Drs talked about it for a while, and it was decided that they would send me home and I would come back today. Oh, and I got suppositories for my nausea.

So when I got back home, I took the new med. It took like 2 hours for it to work, but it finally did and I could sleep. I slept for a little bit. Then I woke up again because of my stomach. My temp only got up to 99.7. Took meds again and went to sleep.

I woke up this morning at 830. I hurt so bad, but I wasn't as sick. I laid on the couch for a while. I went to the Dr, and he said it looked a little better and that he thought the nausea was from the antibiotic. So I was to switch that medicine, and come in again tomorrow. He said that until I was clear, he was going to have me in every day, that if I got worse it would happen too fast.

The new medicine isn't making me as sick. My tummy is a little tender, but nothing like it was. I actualy had some dinner. But I am ending for now... I am really tired.

Eww Gross!

I wish I had a picture of it because you would be sick. Last night, I was getting ready for bed, Mom looked at my port site from a distance. "It looks a little crusty". I glanced at it and said "No, I just cleaned it yesterday", then I took a closer look and it did look a little crusty. So I pushed on my chest just above it and green puss poured out of it! I was shocked I just stared at it for a while. Then Mom came to the rescue. "Call Denver, we have to go to the ER."

Not a lot of action, they did an iv, blood culture, wound culture, and gram stain. The stain is all we have back... the rest takes 72 hours, and it said there were no living organisms, the white blood cell count was high, and there were a few red blood cells. I got discharged at 2am. (Poor Mom!)

Well, when I was discharged, the nurse said that the PH dr on call would leave a message for my dr and he would call me in the morning. Well, I haven't heard from my dr by the time I woke up, so I call. No one told my nurse. *face palm* I tell her everything and she is supposed to talk to the dr and call me back later today.

Fun About

I went bowling today! It was great! I watched the first game and played the second. Mom told me I couldn't unless I used the ramp. (That takes all of the fun out of it!) Ryan and I took turns bowling as the same person. We did alright. He did better on his own. But we learned that a purse over your shoulder while bowling, throws everything off! So I attached it to my belt so it wouldn't swing, and it worked!!

I got another orchid. This one is white with a purple cheetah pattern on it, gorgeous! My fountain is gorgeous too! I have a chocolate plant and daisy right next to it (so cute!)

I talked to my nurse, and she said that my top end of Remodulin may not be 52... I may have until 70. It will really just depend on how I do. So... yay? It means more question marks...